Fuse-replacing device.



W. L. GREEN.

FUSE RBPLACING DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED DEG. 1o, 190e.

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W. L. GREEN. FUSE REPLAGING DEVICE.

.APPLICATION FILED DBC. 10, 1908.

950,389" Patented; Feb.2 2,1910, I ma r mre Hannah-enema.

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UNITED STATES PATENT QFICE.

WALTER I4. GREEN, 0F DENVER, COLORADO.

FUSE-REPLACING DEVICE.

To all whom it 'may concern.'

Be it known that I, WALTER L. GREEN, a citizen of the United States,residing in the city and county of Denver and State of Colorado, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fuse-Replacing Devices;and I do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being hadto the accompanying drawings, and to the figures of reference markedthereon, which form a part of this speciiication. v

My invention relates to improvements in means for replacing fuses inelectrical circuits, my object being to provide a construction whereby aburned out fuse may be quickly replaced by a new fuse, thus avoiding theusual delay incident to replacing a blown fuse whereby the house orbuilding lighted by the electric current is left in darkness.

It is well known that under ordinary circumstances, the blowing out of afuse results in great annoyance due to the fact that much delay usuallyresults since the electric plant must be communicated with and a workmansent to the scene of the difficulty before a new fuse can be supplied.In my improved construction all ditliculty and annoyance of thischaracter are eliminated.

My improved device includes a slidable fuse-carrying member whichcontains one or more pairs of extra fuses occupying a position adjacentthe fuses in the two branches of the electrical circuit. This slidablemember, which is composed of insulating material, occupies a groove orrecess formed in a main insulated block carrying stationary contactsadapted to receive the contacts projecting from the opposite extremitiesof the fuse holders of the slidable member. The latter is actuatedthrough the medium of suitable devices including a lever suitablyfulcrumed and provided with a handle for convenience of manipulation.desired to shift the movable member for the purpose of displacing theold fuses and substituting new ones, 1t is only necessary to move thehandle of the lever a distance about ninety degrees or a quarter of arevolution, around the axis of its fulcrum. Hence this constructionmakes it practicable to actuate the fusible member suiiiciently todisplace the old fuses and substitute new ones almost Specification ofLetters Patent.

Application led December 10, 1908.

When it is.

Patented Feb. 22, 1910. serial No. 466,820.

instantaneously. Moreover, this act may be performed without skilledassistance.

I-Iaving brieliy outlined my improved construction, I will proceed todescribe the same in detail, reference being made to the accompanyingdrawing in which is illustrated an embodiment thereof.

In this drawing, Figure 1 is a face view of my improved fuse replacingmechanism, showing the slidable member shifted to displace one pair offuses and substitute another pair. F ig. v2 is a similar view showingthe slidable member in its normal position. Fig. 3 is a view similar toFig. 2 looking from the opposite side. Fig. l is a view similar to Fig.1 looking from the opposite side. Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line55 Fig. 4L. Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail view in perspective, showingthe cooperating circuit-closing contacts, one on the stationary memberand the other on the movable memben Fig. 7 is a detail face view of theslidable member equipped with the fuse-holding device.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts in all the views.

Let the numeral 5 designate a main insulating block having a groove 6adapted to receive a slidable member 7, having tongues 8 upon itsopposite side edges engaging counterpart grooves formed in the saidwalls of the recess or groove G. Upon the opposite sides of this groove,the main block 8 is provided with contacts 9 each composed of twomembers which are secured to the block by fastening devices 10. The twomembers of this contact are bent upwardly as shown at 12, and thenhorizontally, the free extremities of their horizontal portions beingseparated, as shown at 13 to receive the part 14 of an angle-shapedknife-blade contact 15. One part 1G of the knife-blade contact issecured to the slidable member 7 by a fastening device 11. The contactis provided with a portion 17 projecting outwardly and which connectsthe part 16 with the part 141. The part 16 is provided with outwardlyprojecting spring arms 18 adapted to receive and hold one extremity of afuse 19, the extremities of the fuse being somewhat enlarged as shown at20. There is a pair of fuse-holding contacts 15 for member, the latterbeing equipped with two pairs of fuses. In the construction shown themovement of the slidable member 7 at each operation of its actuateddevices, is just sutiicient to displace one pair of fuses, and place anypair in t-heir stead.

Referring to Figs. 1, 2 and 5, it may be assumed that the two insulatedconductors 21 and 22 belong to the external circuit and the pair ofconductors 23 and 241 to the internal circuit, or that within thebuilding to be electrically lighted. Hence, the conductors 21 and 22 areconnected with binding screws Q5 and 26 of the contacts 9, on one sideof the slidable member; while the conductors 23 and 24 are connectedwith binding screws 2T and 28 belonging to the contacts 9 mounted uponthe main insulating block on the opposite side of the slidable member.lf we assume that the normal position of the parts is as shown in Fig.2, if either of the fuses 19 which are in the circuit., still referringto the last named figure, should be burned out, it is evident that itwill only be necessary to shift the slidable member 7 to the positionshown in Fig. 1, in order to displace the blown fuse or fuses andsubstitute a new pair of fuses. This operating mechanism will now bedescribed.

Slidably mounted in a groove 29 formed in the rear surface of the mainblock 5, is a small bar 3() which is held in the assembled relation byretaining strips 31, which are placed across the groove and secured tothe block by fastening devices 32. A sectorshaped recess 33 is alsoformed in the rear surface of the block. a portion of the recess beinglocated immediately in the rear of the slidable member 7. Connected withthe block by a pivot pin 311, is a link 35 whose extremity opposite thepivotpin end is slotted as shown at 36. A pin 37 fast in the slidablemember, passes through the slot 3G and also through a slot 38 formed inthe insulating block and connecting the sectorshaped recess with thegroove G in which the member 7 is located. A spiral spring 39 isconnected with the bar 3() by a fastening device 40, its oppositeextremity being con,- nected with the link 35 b v a fastening device4t1. A lever t2 is fulcrumed upon the rear surface of the insulatingblock as shown at 413. One extremity of this lever is slotted as shownat 44. Through this slot passes a pin 45 which is fast in one extremityof the sliding bar 30. Rigidly connected with the lever 42 is a handle4:6 which, as shown in the drawing, extends at right angles to the arm4:7 of the lever. If we assume that the parts are in the relativepositions shown in Figs. 2 and 3, if it is desired to displace the twofuses 19 which are located in the electrical cuircuit and substitute theother pair of fuses mounted upon the member 7, therefor, it is onlynecessary to grasp the handle liti of the lever' and move the latterfrom the position shown in Figs. 2 and Il to that shown in Figs. 1 and4. During this movement of the lever it will be understood that the bar30 will be moved in the direction of the arrows in Figs. 2 and 3. As thelever is moved the bar 30 will be actuated in the said direction, butthe link 35 will remain in its normal position until the bar has nearlyreached its limit of movement, when the spring 39 will have reached sucha position that its tension will act to throw the. link 35 together withthe sliding block T quickly to the position shown in 1 and 4e, the quickaction being necessary to prevent arcing of the current both in breakingand making the connection between the stationary and movable contacts.it'l'ter the two fuses l) have been thrown out ofthe circuit the blownfuse or the two blown fuses, if both are destroyed, may be removed and anew fuse or fuses substituted. rl`hen if it should become necessary todisplace the pair of fuses which are located in the circuit as shown inFigs. 1 and el, it will only be necessary to reverse the position of thelever 4t2 when the slidable block will be shifted to displace one pairof fuses and substitute the other pair.

Having thus described my invention what 1 claim is:

1. The combination with an electrical circuit, of a main block, providedwith contacts located in the circuit, a slidable member carrying fusesand also provided with contacts at the extremities of the fuses,arranged. to cooperate with the contacts of the said block, a barslidably mounted on the said block, means mounted on the block andconnected with the bar, to shift the latter, a link pivotally mounted onthe block, at one extremity, and connected with theslidablefuse-carrying member at the opposite extremity, and a springconnected with the bar, at one extremity, its opposite extremity beingconnected with the link intermediate the extremities of the latter,whereby as the bar is shifted to cause the extremity of the springconnected therewith to travel from one side of the links pivotal pointon the block to the other, the link is actuated to shift thefuse-carrying element.

The combination with an electrical circuit, of a main block, providedwith contacts located in the circuit, a slidable member carrying fusesand also provided with contacts at the extremities of the fuses,arranged to cooperate with the contacts ot the said block, a barslidably mounted on the said block, means mounted on. the block andconnected with the bar, to shift the latter, a link pivotally mounted onthe block, at one extremity, and connected with the slidablefusecarrying member at the opposite extremity,

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a spring connected with the bar, at one extremity, its oppositeextremity being connected with the link intermediate the extremities ofthe latter, whereby as the bar is shifted to cause the extremity of thespring connected therewith to travel from one side of the links pivotalpoint on the block to the other, the link is actuated to shift thefusecarrying element, and means for limiting the travel of the block inboth directions.

3. The combination with an electrical circuit, of a main block providedwith contacts located in the circuit, a slidable member carrying fusesand also provided with contacts at the extremities of the fuses,arranged to coperate with the contacts of the stationary block, a barslidably mounted on the said block, a lever fulcrumed on the block, andconnected withthe bar to shift the latter, a link pivotally mounted onthe block at one extremity and connected with the slidable fuse-carryingmember at the opposite extremity and a spring connection between thesaid link and the slidable bar, whereby as the lever is actuated theslidable fuse-carrying member is shifted sufficiently to displace oneset of fuses and substitute another set of fuses in the electricalcircuit, substantially as described.

4. The combination with an electrical cir cuit, of a main block providedwith contacts located in the circuit, a slidable member carrying fusesand also provided with contacts at the extremities of the fuses,arranged to coperate with the contacts of the said block, a bar slidablymounted on the said block, an operating element mounted on the block andconnected with the bar to shift the latter, the link pivotally mountedin the block at one extremity and connected with a slidable fusecarrying` member at the opposite extremity, and a spring connectionbetween the said link and the slidable bar, whereby as the operatingelement is actuated, the slidable fuse-carrying member is shiftedsufficiently to displace one set of fuses and substitute another set offuses in the electrical circuit, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WALTER L. GREEN.

Titnesses A. J. OBRIEN, A. EBERT OBRIEN.

